Mark and Kim Hilinski
Chloe Smith
Hilinski’s Hope Foundation is once again working through Student-Athlete Mental Health Week, a national initiative aimed at raising awareness, reducing stigma and promoting mental wellness among college athletes. This year, Student-Athlete Mental Health Week will take place October 5-12, 2024. Hilinski’s Hope was founded in memory of former Washington State University quarterback Tyler Hilinski, who tragically died by suicide in 2018. The movement has become a powerful advocacy campaign for mental health resources for student-athletes.
Tyler’s parents, Mark and Kim Hilinski, lead the foundation with a mission to ensure that student-athletes do not suffer in silence. Their son was a promising college football player and was beloved by his teammates, family and friends. But he secretly struggled with mental health issues that led to his suicide. The parents turned their grief into action by founding Hilinski’s Hope. “We lost Tyler, and we don’t want anyone else to go through what we went through,” Mark says. “We want all student-athletes to know that it’s okay to not be okay and that it’s okay to ask for help.”
Breaking down prejudices
Hilinski’s Hope’s primary mission is to combat the stigma surrounding mental health, especially in the sports world, through education and resources. Athletes are often told to “suck it up” or “hang in there,” but this mindset can prevent them from seeking help when they need it most.
Mark Hilinski has been particularly vocal about treating mental health as seriously as physical health. “When you injure your knee, you go to the doctor without asking any questions, but when it comes to your mental health, there’s still some hesitation,” Mark explains. “We need to get to a place where student-athletes feel as comfortable talking about their mental health as they are talking about a torn ACL.”
Student-Athlete Mental Health Week 2024
This year’s Student-Athlete Mental Health Week will be held from October 5-12, 2024. Last year, Hilinski’s Hope Student-Athlete Mental Health Week involved more than 165 universities and reached more than 50,000 student-athletes across 20 sports in 44 states. As part of its awareness drive, the foundation is sending out free boxes of supplies to several universities, including helmet stickers, wristbands, hair ties, tattoo stickers, lapel pins, cheer ribbons, patches and more.
During the week, the organization aims to foster open conversations about mental health through educational events, Tyler Talks and mental health modules. Other awareness resources during the week include digital toolkits that will be distributed to schools for publication on their respective collegiate social media platforms. Additionally, a 60-second mental health PSA by Hilinski’s Hope will be presented at halftime to raise awareness about mental health among athletes.
Hilinski’s Hope has created evidence-based mental health resources, including a game plan and an online mental health course, both of which are aimed at educating and reducing the stigma around seeking help for mental health issues. These will be available after Student-Athlete Mental Health Week is over to continue education on these topics. “We’re working to make mental health something that’s integrated into the daily lives of student-athletes, not just something that’s highlighted once a year during Student-Athlete Mental Health Week,” Mark said.
The 2024 Student-Athlete Mental Health Week aims to continue the momentum created by previous efforts. While Hilinski’s Hope has made great strides in changing the conversation about mental health in the sports world, Mark Hilinski acknowledges there is still much work to be done. “We’ve made progress, but we need to keep moving forward,” he says. “Our goal is for every student-athlete in the country to feel empowered to take care of their mental health just as they do their physical health.”
As the 2024 Student-Athlete Mental Health Week approaches, Hilinski’s Hope is calling on universities, athletic programs and communities to join the movement.
